Transfer claim made on Everton’s interest in Leicester City player | OneFootball

Everton only have a "mild interest" in Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho at this point and are yet to make an approach for the player, according to the BBC.

The Toffees are in need of improving their forward department, with the club struggling to replace Richarlison despite the fact he left Goodison Park more than a year ago.

And they look very weak in attack at this point, with Ellis Simms being sold permanently to Coventry City, Moise Kean also moving on from the Merseyside club and Tom Cannon being linked with an exit.

Even if Cannon does stay, it's unclear how prolific he would be in the Premier League after impressing for Preston North End in the Championship during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

With all this in mind, Sean Dyche is in desperate need of more firepower and could potentially turn to Iheanacho, who could potentially be sold following the Foxes' relegation to the Championship at the end of last term.

How much would Everton need to pay for Kelechi Iheanacho?

Football Insider believes the Toffees would need to fork out between £10m and £15m to lure the forward to Goodison Park.

That's arguably a steep amount for a player who has less than 12 months left on his current contract - and could potentially be signed on a free transfer next summer because of that.

However, the Foxes can afford to take a tough stance on the player considering they have already raised plenty of money from the sales of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Scoring five goals in 28 league appearances last term, that isn't the most spectacular record but Leicester seem to value him very highly.

Can Leicester City afford to sell Kelechi Iheanacho?

The Foxes don't have a huge number of forward options at this stage.

Maddison and Barnes' departures mean the Midlands outfit have less attacking firepower and others who can contribute in the final third including Ayzoe Perez and George Hirst have also left.

Iheanacho, Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka may be at their disposal - but they aren't the most threatening team going forward at this point and they are in desperate need of additions.

This is why Leicester should not be sanctioning a move for Iheanacho until they have strengthened - because he could be a big miss during the early stages of the season if he goes and if the Foxes make a poor start - that will give them a lot of work to do in their quest to seal a Premier League return at the first time of asking.

Vardy and Daka have also been linked with moves away, so they definitely need players who can contribute in the final third. That doesn't just mean bringing in strikers.

Thankfully for them, Stephy Mavididi looks set to come in, but they need more attackers lined up before they sell Iheanacho.

The money they generate from his potential sale could be used to fund these further moves, so they can sell Iheanacho, but replacements simply must come in.